A Chanukah Message
Dear Congregants,
The Jewish community focuses on the Festival of Chanukah at a time of year when the street outside begins boasting all sorts of dazzling light displays.
Technically, one can fulfill the Mitzvah of the Menorah with just one candle per night, per home, according to the Code of Jewish Law.
The question arises, what is the reason that we don't have a "bigger & better" festive light experience? Why just a tiny flame?
Allow me to share a story.
Many years ago, I traveled, in the middle of the night, from Ottawa to Toronto.
All of a sudden, there was a bang, and I realized my tire had blown, and I pulled off to the side of the 401.
It was an unfamiliar, rented minivan, and I had difficulty at first finding the spare tire; it was nowhere to be seen! Finally, I discovered the "donut" stored underneath, and struggled to detach it from its moorings.
As I worked, at about 3 AM, I wasn't really that worried. Although this was in the pre-cellphone era, the entire sky was lit up just over the edge of a short incline at the side of the road. I figured there must be some sort of factory there, from which I could summon help if necessary.
Unable to extract the spare, I climbed up the incline, only to discover that the source of blazing light was nothing other than... a large billboard, in the middle of nowhere!
I went back to work, and finally managed to pull the spare tire off. I then had to remove the hubcap in order to loosen the bolts on the wheel.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pry off the hubcap! (Later, I came to realize that this van had a new version of removable cap, which was only located in the centre, while I was working away on the [permanent] rim!)
At a loss, I took a piece of white cardboard I had in the car, and began waving it in view of the passing traffic.
After a few minutes, I noticed an eighteen-wheeler stopping at the bottom of the hill that I was stuck on. And a couple of minutes later, there was a pinprick of light bobbing up and down, slowly making its way towards me.
The truck driver very good-naturedly offered his assistance, changed the tire quite happily, and received my profuse thanks (and small gift).
I told over the story in Shul the Shabbat after. I mentioned that as the pinprick of light came towards me, I realized that this pinprick represented real help, while the entire blazing, lit-up sky meant nothing. And the message was that the world is full of razzle and dazzle. But true meaning in life comes from internal strength and values, not from external superficialities.
At Kiddush, I was chatting with a congregant, who shared that he felt this message deeply. As an entrepeneur, out in the world, and seeing a broad cross-section of society, he sensed the emptiness of the glaring lights and attention-grabbing trappings of the modern street. He expressed that he had never met people as fulfilled as those he met at our Shul.
This is the meaning of Chanukah. The small glow represents the internal power of the soul, nurtured by the pure wisdom contained within the depths of Torah. This glory was restored by the Jewish warriors, who succeeded in rekindling the lights of the Menorah, in their fullest spectrum, for all time.
Chag Same'ach!
Yosef Sanders
